GROOT WINTERHOEK COMPLEX PART OF THE CAPE FLORAL REGION PROTECTED AREAS WORLD HERITAGE SITE Western Cape, South Africa Protected Area Management Plan 2021 – 2031 DATE APPROVED: [Date] MOST RECENT UPDATE: 10 March 2021 GROOT WINTERHOEK COMPLEX PART OF THE CAPE FLORAL REGION PROTECTED AREAS WORLD HERITAGE SITE Western Cape, South Africa Protected Area Management Plan 2021 – 2031 DATE APPROVED: [Date] MOST RECENT UPDATE: 10 March 2021 CITATION CapeNature. 2021. Groot Winterhoek Complex: Protected Area Management Plan 2021- 2031. Internal Report, CapeNature. Cape Town. G R O O T WINTERHOEK COMPLEX II MANAGEMENT PLAN AUTHORISATIONS In terms of section 41(4) of the National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act, 2003 (Act No. 57 of 2003) the Minister hereby approves part of the Protected Area Management Plan for the Groot Winterhoek Complex designated as World Heritage Sites (Table 2.1). TITLE NAME SIGNATURE DATE NATIONAL MINISTER: Ms Barbara Environment, Forestry and Creecy Fisheries Recommended: TITLE NAME SIGNATURE DATE CHAIRPERSON OF THE BOARD: Assoc Prof Western Cape Nature Denver Hendricks Conservation Board CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER: Dr Razeena Omar CapeNature Review Date: 10 years from the date of approval by the MEC or Minister. G R O O T WINTERHOEK COMPLEX III MANAGEMENT PLAN ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS CapeNature would like to thank everybody who participated and had input into the formulation of the Groot Winterhoek Complex management plan. The Groot Winterhoek Complex management plan was prepared by the core reserve management planning team consisting of Marius Wheeler, Antoinette Veldtman and Amukelani Nkuna. The planning team was supported with inputs from various internal and external partners. A special word of thanks to colleagues from Biodiversity Capabilities and Landscape West for their significant contributions. Furthermore, acknowledgement is given to the many external partners and individuals that contributed to the development of this plan. The authors would also like to express their gratitude to the Agricultural Research Council and the South African Weather Service for supplying climatic information as well as the Council for Geoscience for assisting with geological information and maps. Jaco van Deventer (CapeNature – Biodiversity Conservation Specialist) for technical and scientific review. Riaan van der Walt – Fynbos Fish Trust for external review. Cover page images courtesy of Jeanne Gouws and Marius Wheeler. G R O O T WINTERHOEK COMPLEX IV MANAGEMENT PLAN TABLE OF CONTENTS AUTHORISATIONS...................................................................................................... III ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................ IV TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................ V GLOSSARY ................................................................................................................ VIII ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ....................................................................... VIII LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................ X LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................ XII LIST OF MAPS (Appendix 1) ...................................................................................... XII EXECUTIVE SUMMARY............................................................................................XIV 1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 1 2 LEGAL STATUS AND BACKGROUND ................................................................. 2 2.1 Legal Status ..................................................................................................... 2 2.1.1 Name and legal designations ................................................................... 2 2.1.2 Contractual agreements ............................................................................ 5 2.1.3 Location, extent and highest point ............................................................ 5 2.1.4 Municipal jurisdiction ................................................................................. 5 2.1.5 International, national and provincial listings ............................................ 5 2.2 Biophysical Description .................................................................................... 6 2.2.1 Climate....................................................................................................... 6 2.2.2 Topography ............................................................................................. 10 2.2.3 Geology and soils .................................................................................... 11 2.3 Biodiversity Context: Ecosystems ................................................................. 14 2.3.1 Vegetation ............................................................................................... 14 2.3.2 Freshwater ecosystems .......................................................................... 26 2.4 Biodiversity Context: Taxa ............................................................................. 30 2.4.1 Invertebrates............................................................................................ 30 2.4.2 Amphibians .............................................................................................. 34 2.4.3 Fish .......................................................................................................... 36 2.4.4 Reptiles .................................................................................................... 39 2.4.5 Avifauna ................................................................................................... 39 2.4.6 Mammals ................................................................................................. 41 2.5 Heritage Context ............................................................................................ 43 2.5.1 Heritage resources .................................................................................. 43 G R O O T WINTERHOEK COMPLEX V MANAGEMENT PLAN 2.6 Socio-Economic Context ............................................................................... 47 3 POLICY FRAMEWORK ........................................................................................ 49 3.1 Purpose of Protected Area Management ...................................................... 49 3.2 Guiding Principles .......................................................................................... 49 3.3 Strategic Adaptive Management ................................................................... 50 3.4 Protected Area Management Effectiveness .................................................. 51 3.5 Policy Frameworks ......................................................................................... 53 3.5.1 Internal rules ............................................................................................ 53 3.5.2 Financial .................................................................................................. 54 3.5.3 Safety and security .................................................................................. 54 3.5.4 Resource use .......................................................................................... 55 3.5.5 Biodiversity management ........................................................................ 56 3.5.6 Cultural resource management .............................................................. 58 3.5.7 Neighbour relations ................................................................................. 58 3.5.8 Research and development .................................................................... 59 3.5.9 Access ..................................................................................................... 60 3.5.10 Administrative framework .................................................................... 61 4 CONSULTATION .................................................................................................. 61 4.1 Stakeholder Engagement .............................................................................. 64 4.1.1 Participatory planning.............................................................................. 64 4.1.2 Procedures for public comment .............................................................. 65 4.1.3 Procedures for participatory implementation .......................................... 66 5 PURPOSE AND VISION ...................................................................................... 67 5.1 Management Intent and Desired State ......................................................... 67 5.2 Purpose .......................................................................................................... 67 5.3 Vision .............................................................................................................. 68 5.4 Focal Conservation Targets .......................................................................... 68 5.5 Threats ........................................................................................................... 70 5.6 Goals .............................................................................................................. 75 5.7 Sensitivity Analysis .......................................................................................